Building on a Firm Foundation Luke 6;46-49 112507
Building on a Firm Foundation (Luke 6:46-49)
Intro: Hymn: 1. How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say that to you He hath said–
To you, who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Give Background. This is the final picture Jesus uses in this sermon to help us understand the difference between a devoted disciple and a false disciple/ hypocrite. Here Jesus closes with a command to hear and obey His teachings. Read Luke 6:46-49
In this Bible passage, Jesus offers a proposition. Jesus also identifies a problem. Finally, Jesus gives a promise.
1. The Proposition of a Spiritual Foundation (46-47)
a. Jesus was a carpenter. He knew a little bit about foundations. Jesus is talking about more than building a house. He is giving us visual images of spiritual realities. He is proposing the idea of a Spiritual Foundation upon which to build a spiritual edifice. 1 Cor. 3:
1 Corinthians 3:10 - 11 “But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
b. What determines the kind of spiritual foundation a person might have? The response of that person to Jesus and His teaching.
Quotes: Leon Morris comments on this passage saying, “to call anyone Lord is to admit allegiance to Him, but words are no substitute for obedience.”
“Christ doesn’t want our words. He wants our works.” Warren Wiersbe
c. The Three-fold On-going response of the Hypocrite.
i. Person comes to Jesus – Recognition of spiritual need and seeking help.
ii. Person hears Jesus’ sayings – He hears the gospel message.
iii. Person confesses Jesus as Lord, but does not follow Jesus in obedience to His commands. It is an emotional confession, but it has no substance.
d. The Three-fold On-going Response of the True Follower of Jesus
i. Person comes to Jesus – Recognition of spiritual need and seeking help.
ii. Person hears Jesus’ sayings – He hears the gospel message.
iii. Person obeys Jesus’ sayings – He responds with repentance and faith that leads to obedience to the Lordship of Christ.
ILL: Hearing is foundational to doing. Tuned out hearers of Flight Attendants.
App: We need to be listening to God’s Word with a readiness to obey God’s Word.
2. The Problem with a Weak Foundation (49)
a. Storms will come in Life.
b. Without a firm foundation, these storms will bring irreparable damage.
c. The ultimate storm that a person with a weak foundation will face is the judgment of God.
d. Without a firm foundation, all will be lost. This is physical destruction, spiritual destruction, and it is eternal destruction.
e. The noise of destruction.
i. The noise of the storms and floods.
ii. The noise of the collapsing structure.
iii. The noise of the complete and great ruin.
f. The noise of hell
i. The noise of judgment.
ii. The noise of the collapse of an individual standing guilty before God.
iii. The noise of the eternally damned. Weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.
ILL: Katrina flood surge 8-10 ft in Slidell, La. Houses with firm foundations stood. House near the shore with week foundations were complete demolished.
App: For some of us, our foundation is a person - parents, children, a husband or wife, a good friend, a boyfriend or girlfriend. For others, the foundation that supports them is their own intelligence, their self-reliance, their looks, their talent, their skill. Your position may be your foundation, or your financial resources, or your prestige, your popularity. But all of those have one fatal flaw. They're all something or someone you can lose. Which means you can never really be secure, never really be safe, because one unexpected disaster can knock your spiritual house down.
3. The Promise of a Firm foundation (48)
a. Storms will come in Life.
b. With a firm foundation, the house may sustain a little cosmetic damage, but it will ultimately stand firm. You cannot be shaken if you are in Christ. Your faith will stand strong in the midst of life’s storms because Jesus is the Rock.
Psalms 55:22 (NKJV) 22 Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
c. The ultimate flood surge will be the final judgment, but for the true disciple of Christ there is to be no fearing of standing before God because you have a mediator/ a go-between.
d. With Christ as our foundation, we will stand firm in life and death, entering a heavenly home for all eternity.
App: A firm foundation can only come from Christ Jesus. We had better make sure it is the firm foundation of Jesus, His Words and His Works.
ILL: Pastor Scott Willis and his wife Janet had no inkling of what awaited them when they and the youngest six of their nine children piled into their van, buckled up, and left their home in Chicago to travel to Wisconsin. It would turn out to be a day of excruciating pain and horror. While driving north on Interstate 94 in Milwaukee, the van ran over a large piece of metal that punctured the gas tank, turning the van into a raging furnace. By the time the van stopped and the parents fell out, their children were hopelessly trapped as their mother screamed, “No, no.”
One could suppose that for the Willises’ God had never been so far away. Yet, at a news conference the burned, bandaged couple, still in physical pain, gave witness to God’s grace. Janet said that when she looked back toward the van and began screaming, Scott touched her shoulder. He said, “Janet, this is what we’ve been prepared for.” And he was right. He said, “Janet, it was quick and they’re with the Lord, and he was right.” In their shared hospital room they comforted themselves by watching videos of their children, reading passages from God’s Word, and talking openly about what had happened.
The Willises’ living testimony amidst the tears and heartache is inspiring. “I know God has purposes and God has reasons,” says Scott. “God has demonstrated His love to us and our family. There’s no question in our mind that God is good, and we praise Him in all things.” “It’s His right,” agrees Janet. “We belong to Him. My children belong to Him. He’s the giver and taker of life and He sustains us.”
No building can grow very tall or withstand the test of time if it does not have a solid foundation.
Conclusion: Invitation: Salvation; Baptism; Church Membership; The call.